Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Recognizing The Enemy
When we are beset with troubles seemingly from those around us, it can be easy to see these people as either temporary or permanent enemies. While it is true that God will defend us from these people and situations, these are not the real enemies. It is the power behind these people that are our enemies. The good news is, even these powers are already defeated.
In Ephesians 6:12-18 we see that our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual darkness behind the flesh and blood. When we defeat that dark spiritual force, the flesh and blood have no power or standing and lose by default. Paul goes on to make reference to the armor of God that we must use in this battle. While there are many interesting references to this armor in the writings of the prophets in the Old Testament that reveal much about what this armor is and how to use it, we will not address that here. What is important to know is where the defeat of these dark spiritual forces originates. Interestingly enough, the ground work was laid in the time of Moses. The first defeat originates at the first Passover.
In Exodus we see the story of Moses and the children of Israel in Egypt. The Israelites were being treated badly. They God called Moses to go to Egypt to get the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go into the desert to keep a feast. What feast did they eventually keep? Passover was the first. The signs and wonders done by Moses in the first nine plagues lead up to the tenth plague – death of the firstborn. God gave Moses the directions for the Israelites to keep the first passover. Here is where it gets interesting. In Exodus 12:12 it says
For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.
It is Passover, and the keeping of it, that regularly empowers us to defeat the dark spiritual forces because it celebrates the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus.
Prayer
Father, we praise and thank You as the One True Living God, the Most High. We ask that You remember the sacrifice of Your Son, and defeat the dar spiritual forces that rise up against us. In Jesus name. Amen.